Method of and apparatus fob



Oct. 30; 1934.

CJF. M. VAN BERKEL METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR WRAPPING FOODSTUFFSOriginal Filed Jan. 18, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 30, 1934. c F. VANBERKEL Re. 19,358

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR WRAPPING FOODSTUFFS Origir mal Filed Jan.18, 1928 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 f zvem 'r: CrrzeZaZf/f aamjer/Pez 57 M, G JWM@ifya 66 purpose of stacking slices.

Reissued Oct. 30, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC METHOD OF ANDAPPARATUS FOR WRAPPING FOODSTUFFS Cornelis F. M. van Berkel, Wassenaar,Netherlands, assignor to U. S. Slicing Machine Company, La Porte, Ind.,a corporation of Indiana Original No. 1,801,650, dated April 21, 1931,Serial No. 247,511, January 18, 1928. Application for reissue April 14,1933, Serial No. 666,123. In Great Britain February 25, 1927 15 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for wrappingfoodstufis, particularly slices of meat, in a hygienic manner, themethod and apparatus being for employment in connection with weighingscales or slicing machines.

At present, the method usually adopted has consisted in placing a fiatsheet of wrapping material (e. g. paper) upon the receiving platform ofthe weighing scale or slicing machine and depositing the food on thesheet. It has been found that it is rather diilicult to remove thissheet with the food thereon from the platform, without handling thefood, owing to the suction and friction between the sheet and theplatform.

The object of this invention is to obviate the above disadvantage, andto this end the invention consists in inserting a supporting memberbetween upper and lower portions of a folded wrapping sheet andpositioning said member, with the :0 sheet, upon the slice-receivingplatform and,

when the food to be wrapped is deposited upon the upper portion of thesheet, moving the member clear of the platform and simply turning thelower portion of the sheet over the top of the food, whereafter thelatter can be wrapped in the sheet in usual manner.

The folded sheet may be placed initially on the platform and thesupporting member thereafter positioned between the upper and lowerportions of the sheet prior to the slicing of the food.

The wrapping sheet may be folded in such a manner that the lower portionthereof extends beyond the upper portion. The positioning of thewrapping sheet with the lower portion extending beyond the upper portionis for a purpose which will appear hereinafter in connection with theuse of this invention with the so-called meat stackers.

The supporting member comprises a flat plate,

or the like, fitted with a handle and co-acting means may be provided onthe member and on the platform for insuring that the member will bepositioned correctly for receiving the food to be wrapped. The co-actingmeans preferably 46 comprises a separable connection which insures thatthe plate will occupy a predetermined position on the supporting memberand will be prevented from moving relatively to the supporting member bysaid co-acting means during the use of the machine.

Another object of this invention resides in the use of a. member to belocated on the slice receiving plate or extending over the slicereceiving plate in a predetermined relation'thereto for the This isaccomplished by having the wrapping material extending above and belowsaid member with the upper surface thereof in a position to receive theslices as they are severed by the knife.

One embodiment of the apparatus for carrying out the invention isillustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which-Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a slicing machine showing awrapping sheet positioned for reception of the food to be sliced by theslicing knife, only so much of the machine as is necessary for fullyunderstanding the invention being shown;

Fig. 2 is a section of the slice-receiving platform with a wrappingsheet and supporting member positioned thereon;

Fig. 3 is a view of the supporting member removed from the machine andwith the wrapping sheet and slices thereon, the view being taken in thedirection of the arrow III of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an isometric view showing the manner in which the plate aboutwhich thematerial is folded is retained in proper relation to thesupporting surface of the slice receiving member, and

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the application of this invention to aslicing machine providided with stacking mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, the slicing machine therein shown is ofwell-known construction and comprises a rotary slicing knife A, a feedplate B on which the food C to be sliced is clamped, a reciprocatorycarriage D adapted to carry the feed plate with the food thereon to andfro past the knife, and a platform E toward which the slices cut by theknife are directed by a slice deflector F.

The platform E has formed in it (Fig. 2) an aperture 1 into which can beinserted, as shown, a projection 2 on a fiat plate 3. constituting asupporting member for the slices and provided with a handle 4. Thisplate 3 is shown interposed between upper and lower portions 5 and 6 ofa folded wrapping sheet, the lower portion 6 being greater than theupper portion 5.

As will be seen in the drawings and in particular in Figure 1 thereof,the end of the portion 5 of the wrapping sheet may extend beyond theplate 3 to directly overlie the lower portion 6 of the sheet. The twoportions are thusarran'ged so that they may directly contact beyond theedge of the plate. Further, it willbe seen that the upper portion 5 ofthe wrapping sheet is directly above the lower portion 6 so that theweight of foodstuff received on the upper portion is directed toward thelower portion, which weight tends to compress the lower portion betweenthe plate and the platform E.

When the food is about to be sliced, the plate 3 is interposed betweenthe portions 5 and 6 of a folded wrapping sheet and placed in positionon the platform E, as shown in Fig. 1'. When the requisite amount offood has been deposited in slices G near the fold upon the portion 5,the plate 3 is removed from the platform. The portion 6 is then turned,in a counterclockwise direction over the top of the food which canthereafter be wrapped in usual manner in the sheet.

This method of wrapping is particularly adaptable for use in connectionwith such meat slicing machines as are provided with so-called meatstackers, such for example as make a partial revolution, the slices insuch. machines being spread automatically upon the wrapping sheetwithout handling. Further, it will be apparent that the slice-receivingplatform E could be the platform of a weighing scale. It is obvious,however, that slices may be spread on the sheet in shingle fashion bypulling the free edge of the portion 5'of the sheet a predetermineddistance as a slice is cut.

The projection 2 and aperture 1 could be polygonal so as to provide adefinite position on the platform E for the plate 3-. This arrangementis shown clearly in Fig. 4 in which the projection 2 is shown as squarein cross-section and is adapted to fit within the square opening 7 inthe platform E. It is obvious that when the projection 2 is arrangedwithin the opening 7, the plate 3 is prevented from turning.

, In lieu of the plate 3 being adapted to be lifted entirely away fromthe platform E, it might be pivotally mounted on the platform so that itcould be readily swung into or out of the position in which it receivesthe food or the position in which it is clear of the platform forpermitting the food to be wrapped. In such a case, means may be providedfor locking the platform in operative position.

One type of meat stacker with which this invention is adapted to be usedis shown in my prior Patent No. 1,290,425, granted January 7,1919.

I claim:

l. A method of wrapping and removing foodstuffs from apparatus having afood receiving platform, said method consisting of placing a strip ofpaper on said platform and placing a relatively thin rigid supportingmember on said paper between the ends thereof, folding said strip ofpaper over the top surface of said member to provide a food receivingsurface, depositing the food on said food receiving surface, moving saidmember clear of said platform, and folding said strip of paper back overthe top of the food.

2. The method set forth in claim 1 in'which said member is placed onsaid strip of paper nearer one and than the other. I

3. A method of wrapping foodstuffs consisting of folding a strip ofwrapping paper, inserting a rigid supporting member between the folds ofsaid strip of wrapping paper, placing the paper and its supportingmember on a supporting surface with one of the folded portions of thepaper below and one above said supporting member,-

placing the food on the paper covering the top surface of saidsupporting member, moving said supporting member away from saidsupporting surface, and folding the portion of the paper disposed at thelower side of said member back over the top of the food.

roses wrapping paper, placing the paper and its supporting member on asupporting surface with the longer of said folded portions of said paperdisposed below said supporting member and with the shorter of saidfolded portions disposed over the top surface of said supporting member,plac ing the food on said shorter portion, removing said supportingmember from said supporting surface, folding the portion of the paperdisposed at the lower side of said member back over the top of the foodand finally wrapping the food in the usual manner.

5. In an apparatus having a food receiving surface the combination of anauxiliary food receiver mounted adjacent said receiving surface, saidauxiliary food receiver beingadapted to support a folded piece ofwrapping paper and being interposed between the folds thereof.

6. In an apparatus having a food receiving surface the combination of anauxiliary food receiver mounted on said receiving surface in a positionto receive food thereon and to permit its removal without handling, saidauxiliary food receiver comprising a relatively thin rigid memberadapted to support a sheet of wrapping paper on one side thereof withthe edge of said sheet extending over the edge of said rigid member andacross the surface thereof.

7. In an apparatus having a food receiving sinface of an auxiliary foodreceiver movably mounted on said receiving surface and in a position toreceive food thereon, said auxiliary food receiver comprising arelatively thin rigid member adapted to support a sheet of wrappingpaper thereon with one portion of said sheet of wrapping paper extendingover the edge of said rigid member and across the surface thereof toform a food receiving surface for said auxiliary food receiver, saidmember having a handle thereon to facilitate the removal of saidauxiliary food receiver from said food receiving surface 8. In anapparatus having a food support with a food receiver thereon of anauxiliary food receiver mounted on said receiving surface in a positionto receive food thereon and to permit its removal without handling, saidauxiliary food receiver comprising a relatively thin rigid member havingupper and lower surfaces and an edge portion, said rigid member beingadapted to receive a sheet of wrappin material with the sheet of saidmaterial extending over and under said rigid member, said member havingmeans there- 1 9. In an apparatus for slicing foodstuffs the combinationwith a support for the substance to be sliced of a slicing knife movablymounted with respect to said support and slice receiving memberremovably mounted in a position adjacent said slicing knife to receiveslices as they are cut by said knife, said member having the upper andlower surfaces thereof unobstructed so as to permit a sheet of" wrappingmaterial to extend above and below said member, the portion of saidwrapping paper above said member being adapted to receive the slices asthey are cut from the substance on said support, said member having aprojection theron adapted to engage a recess in a supporting member soas to position said food receiver in a predetermined position saidslicing knife.

relativel to.

, upper and lower surfaces which are unobstructed so as to permit asheet of wrapping material to be disposed over and under said member,that portion of the wrapping material which is above said member beingadapted to receive the slices as they are cut from the substance, saidmember being pivoted so as to enable one to move said member out of itsslice receiving position.

11. The method of wrapping foodstuffs which comprises inserting asubstantially rigid member between the folds of a sheet of wrappingmaterial and placing said sheet of wrapping material in a positionrelatively to the slicing knife of a slicing machine such that saidwrapping material will receive the slices as they are cut from thesubstance by said slicing knife.

12. In a slicing machine, a slice receiving platform adapted to receivea folded piece of wrapping material, and a member adapted to be receivedbetween folds of the wrapping material, said wrapping material beingadapted to be pulled manually so as to arrange slices thereon inoverlapping or shingiing relationship.

13. The method of wrapping food stuff which includes arranging a foldedsheet of wrapping paper adjacent the cutting edge of a slicing knife andon a foodstuff receiving platform to receive slices cut by the knife.there being a member above the platform receivable within the fold ofthe wrapping paper.

14. The method of wrapping foodstuff which includes arranging a foldedsheet of wrapping paper on a foodstuff receiving platform adjacent acutting knife from which the foodstuff is delivered, and about a memberupon the platform receivable within the fold thereof and with portionsof the folds of the sheet arranged to contact.

15. The method of wrapping foodstuff which includes arranging a foldedsheet of wrapping paper adjacent a cutting knife from which thefoodstuff is delivered, above a foodstuff receiving platform, andabout amember upon the platform receivable within the fold of the sheet, theupper fold of the sheet being arranged to overlie the lower fold thereofso that the weight of foodstufl received on the upper fold is directedtoward the lower fold.

CORNELIS F. M. VAN BERKEL,

